Chapter Summaries

After rescuing the Machamp, Cheng Tian invited Aron to leave the mine with him and grow stronger so it could seek revenge. Aron joined Cheng Tian as his second Pokémon, and they left the mine after saying goodbye to the Machamp Leader and the others.

• Cheng Tian reunited with his father after the Machamp were rescued, and a medic advised him to visit a Pokémon Center for his injuries.
• Cheng Tian told Aron he knew about its past and offered to help it grow stronger so it could take revenge.
• Cheng Tian left a Poké Ball for Aron and walked away, but Aron did not follow before he and his father drove off.
• Aron called out to stop Cheng Tian, then entered the Poké Ball and completed Cheng Tian's mission to catch his second Pokémon.
• Cheng Tian released Aron and introduced it to his father, while the Machamp Leader and other Machamp waved goodbye from the mine.

After returning home with Aron, Cheng Tian claimed a Sea Incense for Froakie and watched a World Pokémon League battle that showed Aron the power of Mega Evolution. The night ended with Aron setting a goal to grow strong and Cheng Tian promising to help both Pokémon become the strongest.

• Cheng Tian received treatment for his shoulder, then returned home with his father and introduced Aron to his mother and Yamper.
• Cheng Tian claimed the Sea Incense quest reward and gave the incense to Froakie, though he realized Froakie could not carry it into battle.
• Cheng Tian watched Yang Yonggang defeat Egypt's Fire-type Elite Four member with Magnezone, Scizor, and Mega Aggron.
• Aron watched Mega Aggron fight and decided it would become just as strong.
• Cheng Tian watched Froakie and Aron fall asleep, set down his cross necklace, and promised to make them the strongest.

Cheng Tian’s classmates teased him after learning Su Han had bought him the necklace he wore, leaving Su Han blushing and Cheng Tian worried she had misunderstood his feelings. While fetching test papers with Su Han to avoid calisthenics, Cheng Tian fell with her on the stairs and was left dazed after hitting his head.

• Bai Yun and Lin Lin questioned Cheng Tian about his necklace during the ride to school, then teased him when Su Han revealed she had bought it for him.
• Sun Yanling collected the class’s homework, and Bai Yun hurriedly copied Lin Lin’s work before handing in his assignments.
• Sun Yanling sent Su Han and Cheng Tian to collect test papers during calisthenics, and Su Han asked whether Bai Yun’s teasing about the necklace was true.
• Su Han and Cheng Tian counted the papers in the Copy Room and carried them downstairs, where a gust of wind blew papers from Su Han’s stack.
• Su Han missed a step and fell into Cheng Tian, sending them tumbling down the stairs and scattering the papers.
• Cheng Tian struck the back of his head and became dazed, while Su Han helped him up and asked whether he needed the Nurse’s Office.

Cheng Tian learned that the school was replacing Wednesday combat lessons with weekly community-service tasks that rewarded points exchangeable for Pokémon supplies and TMs. He and Su Han, Bai Yun, and Lin Lin accepted a task to drive away Poochyena near Jingxi Road, leaving them to prepare before attempting it.

• Sun Yanling announced that students would complete weekly community-service tasks using their Pokémon instead of Wednesday practical combat lessons.
• Cheng Tian reviewed the points-based reward system and bought Protect TMs for his Pokémon, along with Grass Knot and Thunder Wave TMs.
• Teacher Zhou explained the task board, point deposits, and penalties for failing tasks or exceeding their deadlines.
• Cheng Tian looked over the point-shop TMs with Su Han, while Bai Yun found a team task to drive away Poochyena near Jingxi Road.
• Cheng Tian, Su Han, Bai Yun, and Lin Lin pooled 350 points and accepted the task, then Teacher Zhou reminded the class to prepare carefully.

Cheng Tian helped Aron learn Protect after Froakie coached it through the move, then joined his friends in planning a mission to catch a pack of Poochyena on Jingxi Road. The group settled on using Lin Lin and Pachirisu as bait and began preparing supplies for the mission two days later.

• Cheng Tian took Froakie and Aron to the Pokémon Center, where Froakie learned Protect and Grass Knot but Aron initially failed to learn its move from a TM.
• Froakie helped Aron recall the Protect TM’s instructions, allowing Aron to learn Protect and bringing the two Pokémon closer together.
• Cheng Tian read his friends’ group chat about the troublesome Poochyena pack that had been intimidating pedestrians on Jingxi Road.
• Cheng Tian proposed luring the Poochyena between two crossroads while the others blocked the exits, with Lin Lin and Pachirisu drawing the pack out.
• The group agreed to prepare Potions and extra Poké Balls, and Cheng Tian told Aron they would be counting on it for the mission.

Cheng Tian, Bai Yun, Su Han, and Lin Lin tried to gather Poochyena for their mission on Jingxi Road, but discovered that a Mightyena led the pack. As the Pokémon chased Lin Lin, Pachirisu drew their attention and Bai Yun arrived with Chimchar to strike back.

• Cheng Tian's group took a private car to Jingxi Road and assigned Lin Lin to lure the Poochyena while the others took positions nearby.
• Lin Lin walked down Jingxi Road carrying a Skitty-tail item, and eight Poochyena emerged to confront her.
• A Mightyena appeared and led the pack in a charge after Su Han warned the group that the mission information had been wrong.
• Lin Lin ran as the Poochyena chased her, and Pachirisu taunted the pack before using Follow Me and Quick Attack to draw Mightyena away.
• Bai Yun arrived with Chimchar, which hit Mightyena with Thunder Punch and sent it flying.

A-Tian spent the winter solstice alone in Capital City, exhausted by his programming job and missing his family and friends. After speaking with his mother and Bai Yun, he watched the snow fall from his rented room and said it was cold.

• A-Tian walked home through the snow after a tiring day at work and learned from his mother that it was the winter solstice.
• A-Tian bought liquor, cigarettes, duck, and a cold side dish, then ate alone in his rented room instead of making dumplings.
• Bai Yun called A-Tian, offered him work in Bingzhou, and heard him refuse because he wanted to make a life in Capital City.
• A-Tian asked Bai Yun about his father and Lin Lin, learning that his father still suffered from asthma and Lin Lin was working as a manager in Magic City.
• A-Tian drank and smoked by the window as the snow grew heavier, then said, “It's so cold.”

Bai Yun and Cheng Tian’s Pokémon fought Mightyena and his pack after the Poochyena cornered Lin Lin. With the pack trapped and outnumbered, the trainers defeated the attackers, leaving Mightyena unconscious.

• Chimchar and Pachirisu fought off the Poochyena, but Mightyena badly injured Chimchar with Assurance.
• Pachirisu distracted Mightyena, and Sylveon struck him with Double-Edge while Cheng Tian arrived with Froakie and Aron.
• Cheng Tian gave Bai Yun a Potion and ordered Aron to use Rock Tomb, trapping Mightyena and the Poochyena.
• The trainers and their Pokémon attacked the trapped pack, with Froakie using Whirlpool and Aron blocking Mightyena’s counterattacks.
• Aron used Dragon Rush and Body Slam to knock Mightyena unconscious, ending the threat on Jingxi Road.

Cheng Tian and his teammates completed their mission to capture the Poochyena and Mightyena troubling Jingxi Street, then returned to Bingzhou No. 1 High School to collect their points. After Teacher Zhou secretly gave Cheng Tian and Bai Yun an extra hundred points to keep quiet about the teachers drinking at work, the team left to celebrate at the First-Class Pavilion.

• Cheng Tian and the others captured the fainted Poochyena and Mightyena, then turned them over to Bingzhou's Stray Pokémon Center.
• Cheng Tian and Bai Yun returned to school, where they surprised Teacher Zhou and two PE teachers drinking beer during work hours.
• Bai Yun showed Teacher Zhou video evidence of the completed mission, and Cheng Tian and Bai Yun collected their team rewards and points.
• Teacher Zhou gave Cheng Tian and Bai Yun an extra hundred points in exchange for their silence about the drinking.
• Cheng Tian and Bai Yun told Su Han and Lin Lin what had happened, and the team decided to celebrate with a meal at the First-Class Pavilion.

Bai Yun took Cheng Tian, Su Han, and Lin Lin to the First-Class Pavilion, where their affectionate gestures made the girls suspect the two boys were gay. During tea afterward, they learned that beginning-of-term exams were scheduled for the following Thursday, and the friends headed home planning to study.

• Bai Yun led Cheng Tian, Su Han, and Lin Lin to a private room at the First-Class Pavilion and ordered the restaurant’s spicy crab and shrimp combo.
• Lin Lin fed Bai Yun, and Cheng Tian served Su Han some beef, leaving Su Han embarrassed but pleased.
• Cheng Tian and Bai Yun fed each other shrimp and crab, prompting Su Han to ask whether they were gay; both boys emphatically denied it.
• Su Han noticed the class group chat announcement that beginning-of-term exams would take place next Thursday, and the friends speculated that the Pokémon Studies exam might involve battles.
• The four friends left the restaurant and headed home, saying they would study hard.

Cheng Tian registered for the World Pokémon League to find opponents for training, but his first night using the league app ended when his mother confiscated his phone. He was left unable to study the materials he had just discovered, while Froakie and Aron went back to sleep.

• Cheng Tian saw that registration for the World Pokémon League had reopened and signed up, listing his Pokémon and personal details.
• Cheng Tian let Froakie draw his contestant number, which came out as 54188666, then linked his identity to the league app and started matchmaking.
• Cheng Tian discovered his old study materials in his browser and tried to look through them late at night.
• Cheng Tian's mother revealed that she had been using his Sea Incense as moisturizer, then returned it after he explained its value and purpose.
• Cheng Tian's mother confiscated his phone for the night, and Froakie fell asleep after seeing the Sea Incense safely back in place.

Cheng Tian’s matchmaking app paired him with Song Rongxue, a rebellious senior who rode a flashy scooter and insisted on driving him to school. After a terrifying ride, he arrived at school with her, where Su Han spotted them together.

• Cheng Tian enabled location access, and the matchmaking app matched him with Song Rongxue, a fellow Grade 11 student at Bingzhou No. 1 High School.
• Song Rongxue teased Cheng Tian and persuaded him to ride her scooter after he realized he might be late for school.
• Song Rongxue sped recklessly through traffic while Cheng Tian clung to her waist and begged her to slow down.
• Song Rongxue arrived at school with Cheng Tian and said she would find him at noon to battle, while he refused and tried to avoid her.
• Su Han arrived at school, saw Cheng Tian with Song Rongxue, and wondered who the woman was.

Cheng Tian met Song Rongxue after class to settle their promised battle, while Su Han secretly followed them to Baishui Street. The chapter left Cheng Tian and Song Rongxue at a milk tea shop before their battle, with Su Han watching from nearby.

• Cheng Tian slept through most of the first class, and Su Han forgot to wake him as she worried about the girl he had been with.
• Song Rongxue waited at Cheng Tian’s classroom door and persuaded him to go with her to a battle plaza on Baishui Street.
• Su Han secretly followed Cheng Tian and Song Rongxue in her family’s car, while Uncle Wang recognized Cheng Tian and decided to report him to the master.
• Cheng Tian drove Song Rongxue’s souped-up scooter to Baishui Street, and Song Rongxue hugged him during the ride.
• Song Rongxue convinced Cheng Tian to stop for milk tea before their battle, while Su Han watched them enter the shop.

Cheng Tian defeated Song Rongxue’s Pancham in a recorded one-on-one battle and learned how the World Ranking worked. After Song Rongxue left, Su Han asked Cheng Tian to see a movie with her on Sunday and arranged a ride home, where Uncle Wang watched him from the rearview mirror.

• Cheng Tian and Song Rongxue recorded a one-on-one battle, with Cheng Tian choosing Froakie and Song Rongxue sending out Pancham.
• Song Rongxue’s Pancham initially pressured Froakie, but Cheng Tian used Grass Knot, Water Pulse, Lick, Whirlpool, and Ice Punch to win the match.
• Cheng Tian saw that his World Ranking had risen to 587,221,456, and Song Rongxue explained how rankings carried over between Season Years before giving him a phone stand.
• Song Rongxue left, and Cheng Tian discovered he had accidentally drunk from her pearl milk tea cup before spotting Su Han hiding nearby.
• Su Han invited Cheng Tian to see a movie on Sunday, then offered him a ride home with Uncle Wang, whose gaze made Cheng Tian uneasy.

Cheng Tian trained Froakie and prepared for the start-of-term test, which took the form of a Pokémon battle competition. The king-of-the-hill matches began with Lin Lin and Song Rongxue chosen as arena defenders.

• Cheng Tian turned down Su a Su Su's invitation to see a movie until after the start-of-term test and spent the following days studying and seeking battles.
• Froakie gained a level and improved several moves as Cheng Tian's ranking rose into the middle of the five-hundred-million range.
• Teacher Zhou announced that the test would be an all-day king-of-the-hill competition with five arenas and unlimited challenges.
• Teacher Zhou randomly selected Lin Lin as Class One's first arena defender, while Class Two sent Song Rongxue.

During the school battle challenge, Cheng Tian defended Song Rongxue after her classmates deliberately wore down her Pancham. He defeated one of the girls’ Kecleon and provoked the gathered challengers, leaving his arena surrounded by opponents.

• Lin Lin’s Pachirisu won two matches before losing, and Bai Yun’s Chimchar defeated the Zigzagoon that had beaten it.
• Su Han won a match with Sylveon while Cheng Tian overheard Class 2 girls plotting to exhaust Song Rongxue through repeated battles.
• Song Rongxue’s battered Pancham lost to Kecleon, and Cheng Tian offered to deal with the girls while she took Pancham for treatment.
• Cheng Tian challenged one of the girls and used Froakie to trap and defeat her Kecleon.
• Cheng Tian taunted the crowd, drawing the girls and other spectators into challenging him.

Cheng Tian led Froakie through a string of fierce battles at the gymnasium, including a hard-fought victory over Cacnea and a fifth match against Mankey. As Cheng Tian urged Froakie to break past its limits, brilliant light surrounded it, and Teacher Zhou recognized it as Evolutionary Light.

• Cheng Tian outmaneuvered a girl's Voltorb, avoiding its Aftermath Ability and defeating it with Water Pulse.
• Cheng Tian and Froakie defeated a boy's Cacnea after a grueling exchange of attacks, giving Froakie its third consecutive win.
• Song Rongxue returned to the gymnasium and discovered Cheng Tian had already won four battles in a row.
• An exhausted Froakie fought Mankey, whose Anger Point Ability had triggered after a critical hit, and began trading punches with it.
• Cheng Tian urged Froakie to keep fighting and become stronger, and brilliant white Evolutionary Light suddenly enveloped Froakie.

Cheng Tian’s Froakie evolved into Frogadier after winning five consecutive arena battles, and Teacher Zhou later invited Cheng Tian to represent the class in an upcoming city tournament. The chapter ended with Cheng Tian agreeing to participate, though the tournament would likely require him to raise two Pokémon.

• Froakie reached level sixteen, evolved into Frogadier, and frightened Mankey into losing its will to battle, completing Cheng Tian’s five-win streak.
• Cheng Tian forfeited his remaining matches so he could have Frogadier examined, then exchanged congratulations with Bai Yun, Lin Lin, and Su Han.
• Song Rongxue thanked Cheng Tian for his help, but he left to get Frogadier treated and examined.
• Teacher Zhou told Cheng Tian about a city tournament for second-year Pokémon Studies students planned for mid-December and invited him to compete.
• Cheng Tian accepted the invitation, and Teacher Zhou said participants would probably need to have two Pokémon.

After the arena tournament, Pokémon Class 1 chose a Pokémon-themed restaurant for the school anniversary, and Su Han and Lin Lin arranged weekend outings with Cheng Tian and Bai Yun. Cheng Tian brought home his newly evolved Frogadier, while Lin Lin excitedly planned what to wear.

• Teacher Zhou ended the arena tournament and told the students to return to class for an announcement.
• Sun Yanling told Pokémon Class 1 to prepare an activity for Bingzhou No. 1 High School’s thirty-fifth anniversary, and the class chose a Pokémon-themed restaurant.
• Lin Lin left Cheng Tian and Su Han alone, and Su Han confirmed their Saturday movie date near the Guomao Building.
• Cheng Tian brought Frogadier home, surprising his parents and Aron, and the family sat down to dinner.
• Lin Lin called Bai Yun and persuaded him to go to the amusement park with her, then began choosing an outfit for Sunday.

Cheng Tian received his Pokémon Studies report card and met Su Han at Guomao Mall for a movie outing. Meanwhile, Lin Lin met Bai Yun, and they set off by tram for the amusement park.

• Cheng Tian's father received Cheng Tian's report card, which showed that Cheng Tian ranked second in his year.
• Cheng Tian told his parents he was meeting Su Han, and his father transferred him three hundred yuan.
• Cheng Tian and Su Han met early at Guomao Mall, and Cheng Tian bought her a replacement grilled sausage after she dropped hers.
• Lin Lin waited for Bai Yun, showed him her outfit, and suggested they take the tram to the amusement park for its fountain show.